Foldable or collapsible chair.



H. A. STONE.

FOLDABLE 0R COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, I915. RENEWED SEPT. 14- I917. 6 1 7 Patented Apr. 23, 1918;

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. A STONE.

FOLDABLE 0R COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR. APPLICATION man SEPT. 24. 1915. RENEWED SEPT. 14. 1917.

Tu Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0 ""mumumlmM H. A. STONE.

FOLDABLE 0R COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24. I915- RENEWED SEPT-1411917. 6 1 L Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

5 SHEET3 SHEET 4.

H. A. STONE.

FOLDABLE' 0R COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.24. m5. RENEWED SEPT-.14. 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- anon atom w ll A, STONE, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNQF, "F0 FOLDING U'FILI- FEES CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, Ill. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ronnannn on connarsrnnn cnarn.

Specification of Letters Batent.

I application filed teptember 2t, 1915, Serial No. 52,105. Renewed September 141, 1917. Serial 110. 191,503.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that -l[ HARRY A. Stone, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foldable or Collapsible Chairs, of which the fol- Y ness with strength, durability, compactness whenfolded or collapsed, neatness of appearance, inexpensiveness of manufacture and comfortableness when in use.

Cne form. of the braces for the legs is substantially that set forth in the application of Carleton 1V Smith, renewal No. 112,478, filed July 31, 1916, for foldable or collapsible stands, but in lieu of such bracing, 1 may provide a chain or-wire bracing combined with the legs in an improved mannet, and the invention possesses features and combinations of parts not found in the aforesaid Smith application,

While my invention is preferably carried out in a chair having a back and by the provision of only three legs, the invention may be embodied in a chair havin four legs, and without a back; or, it may fie embodied in the form of a table, inasmuch as the top or seat cooperates with the legs in an improved and novel manner in all forms of the invention, whatever use the device may be put to.

Further, many modifications may be resorted to in carrying out the diflercnt inventive ideas and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the details of construction hereinafter specified and'disclosed in the drawings, all of which are to be considered as illustrative, rather than restrictive, of the scope of the invention.

1n the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of the chair set up and ready for use;

Fig. 2, a detail rear elevation showing the be;

Fig. 3, a view of the chair when folded;

Fig. 4, a detail of one corner of the seat;

Fig. 5, a detail of the front portionof the seat;

Fig. 6, a detail of one of the joints of a brace;

Fig. 7, a detail showin how one of the corners of the seat is held y a hook;

Fig. 8, a detail of one of the corner hooks for the rear legs;

Fig. 9, a modification of Fig. 8; 1 Fig. 10, a detail of the hook on the front Fig. 11, a detail of one panel or pair of logs showing another form of bracing;

Fig. 12,. a perspective showing the invention embodied in a table or stool; and

Fig. 13, a view of a modified support for the front of the seat.

Preferably three legs 1 are employed, but

four may be used if desired, either for the purpose of providing a chair, with or without a back, or a stool or table as shown, for instance, in F ig. 12,

T he legs 1 may be of angle iron, as shown in Figs. 1 and 12, or tubular, as shown at 1 in Fig. 11.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 12, the legs1 are: connected by upper and lower jointed lateral braces 2 and 3 pivoted to the legs at 1 and having their sections pivotally connected at 5 and provided with stop devices 6 of the same general construction as set forth in the application of Carleton W. Smith, renewal No. 112,47 8 heretofore referred to.

Crossed tension braces or linkages 7 are connected to the'pivots 4 and the sections thereof are jointed at 8 in a manner substantially similar "to the crossed tension braces of the Smith application, but 1 prefer to provide these tension braces with stop devices 9 such as employed at 6.

As an improvement on the crossed tension braces, '1 provide the construction shown in Fig. 11 where there is represented but a single panel of the chair, table or stool support, whether embodied in a threelegged or four-leg ed structure. The braces 2, 3*, .are provl ed with stop devices 6 1 and are adapted to break. in opposite directions, as shown by dotted lines, whereas the braces 2 and 3 are adapted to break toward each other. Chains, wires, or other flexible and non-rigid crossed tension members 10 are connected to the legs, preferably at the pivotal points 4 of the braces 2 3. The use of wires, chains or equivalent flexible cross tension members at 10, very materially reduces the cost of construction over that of the braces 7 and has another, advantage in that these braces are adapted to break or yield at all pointgso that the may be very easily collapsed or ext'ende The braces 10 of Fig. 11 may be used on any form the invention may assume in substitution for the braces 7. For instance, in either Fig. 1 or Fig. 12, the braces 7 may be dispensed with and braces 10 substituted.

Whichever form of bracin the legs can be extended, as s own in Figs. 1 and 12, or moved bodily toward each other into the collapsed condition shown in Fig. 3, in which state the device is folded in compact and collapsed condition, whatever form 1t mayassume and whether provided with a back ormot. p

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the seat 11 is of cloth, canvas or other pliable or flexible material of suflicient stoutness and strength, being provided at its rear corners with eyelets or gromets 12, such as shown, for instance, in Fig. 7. The seat 11 is flexible throughout except at its front edge, where it is provided with a crosswise extending sheath or pocket 13 which has an opening or exposed portion 14 intermediate its ends (Fig. 5). Contained within the sheath or pocket 13 is a rod 15- which runs substantially the full length thereof and whose central portion is exposed at 15. Secured to the upper end of the front leg 1 is a hook 16 (Fig. 10) which may be made of a piece of metal provided with parts 16 riveted to the sides of the leg 1. The hook is adapted to engage the exposed portion 15 of the rod 15 after the gromets 12 have been slipped over hooks 17 of the members 18 (Fig. 8) which are fastened to the upper ends of the rear legs 1 by rivets or fastenings 19 passing through holes 20. The seat 11 is, therefore, completely detachable from the hooks 16 and 17. I may, however, make one of the hooks 17 in the form of a closed loop 17*, as shown in Fig. 9 to which the gromet 12 at that corner of the seat is permanently connected, as shown in Fig. 9. If

this construction is employed, the seat 11 cannot become detached or lost. Whichever form of hook 17 or 17 a is employed, the seat 11 is intended to be disengaged from the remaininghook 17 and front hook 16 so that it may be wrapped around the collapsed legs and back rods, as shown in Fig. 3.

ivoted to the rear faces of the rear legs 1, as for instance, on the upper ivots 4, are gfoldable rods 21 which can downwardly alongside the rear le s 1 or extended into upright position as s own in Figs. 1. and 2. These rods are held by hOOks is employed,

e disposed or clips 22 which ma be a part of the fittings or members 18 or cheapness of manufacture, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, but they can be separately attached to the rear legs 1. A fabric or flexible back 23 connects the upper ends of the rods 21 and is of any suitable width and provided at its ends with sheaths or pockets 24 which receive the upper ends of said rods and are provided with button-holes 25 to engage studs or buttons 26 on the rods to prevent accidental detachment.

The seat 11 is provided with sna fasteners 27 and the back 23 has snap asteners 28, affording means whereby,after the seat and back have been wrapped around the collapsed structure, they may be fastened in ground condition thereabout, as shown in In the table construction shown in Fig. 12, the legs 1 and braces 2, 3 and 7, are of the same form as heretofore set forth. Preferably four legs are provided. The top 11 engages hooks 17 at the upper ends of the legs or at least three of them. The

fourth leg may have a closed .hook 17 such port for the front of the seat 11. The rod 15 is dispensed with and eyelets or gromets 11 are provided at the front corners of the seat. The chair is otherwise constructed substantially as in Fig. l and as previously described. To the front leg 1 are pivoted at 40* two foldable braces 40 having hooked upper ends 41 adapted for reception in the gromets 11". A foldable brace 42 pivoted to one of the braces 40 at 43 is adapted to detachably engage the other brace at 44.

' The upper end of the leg 1 is slotted at 44 to receive the brace 42. When folded, the braces 40 lie alongside the leg 1 and the brace 42 alongside the brace 40 to which it is pivoted at 43.

In the claims when I refer to a chair, I intend to cover chairs, stools or seats with or without backs, and tables or stands; also equivalent structure, and I do not thereby limit myself, except where specifically set forth, to the provision of a back.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a foldable or collapsible chair, the combination with three foldable supports, of a multi-cornered flexible or foldable seat, having a sheath at its front edge, engaging devices for connectin the rear corner portions of the seat to the two respective rear supports, a rod carried in the sheath at the front portion of the seat, and means on the front support adapted to detachably engage with an exposed central portion of said rod. 2, A foldable or collapsible chair comprising, in combination, relatively bodily movable foldable legs, foldable braces connectthe legs, a foldable seat, and a foldab e back, embodying independent pivoted foldable rods adapted to be swung upwardly, or downwardly, alongside said le s, a detachable back-piece connecting said ro s, and retaining devices for holding the rods in raised position, said back piece preventing the rods from becoming freed from said retaining devices.

3. A foldable or collapsible chair comprising, in combination, relatively bodily movable foldable legs, foldable braces connecting the legs, a foldable seat, and a foldable back embodying independent pivoted foldable rods adapted to be swung upwardly, or downwardly alongside the legs, a flexible or pliable back-piece having pockets or sheaths adapted to receive the free ends of the rods, and buttons, and eyelets for detachably connecting the sheaths to the rods, and retaining devices for holding the rods in raised position, said back piecepreventing the rods from becoming freed from said retaining devices.

4. In a chair, a foldable back comprising foldable rods, retaining devices for holding the rods in upright position, and a flexible or pliable back-piece detachab ly connected to the rods, .said back piece preventing the rods from becoming freed from said retaining devices.

5. In a chair, a foldable back comprising foldable rods, hook clips for holding the rods in upright position, and a detachable back piece connected to said rods and adapted to hold them engaged with said hook clips.

6. In a chair, a foldable back comprising foldable rods, hook clips for holding the rods in upright position, and a back-piece of flexible or pliable material having sheaths or pockets adapted to detachably receive the free ends of the rods, said back piece being adapted to hold the rods in engagement with the hook clips.

7 A folding or collapsible chair comprising relatively foldable legs, braces connecting the legs, a seat of flexlble or pliable material adapted for connection to the legs when the latter are extended and carrying two-part snap fasteners, whereby said seat may be fastened around the legs when.

the latter are folded, and a foldable back till tlll

comprising foldable rods and a back-piece so of flexible or pliable material connecting the rods and carrying two-part snap fasteners whereby said back-piece may be fastened after being wrapped around the legs when the latter are folded.

In testimony whereof I hereunto signature. 

